A bright, sunny summer day, no sunscreen, and there it is: you got a sunburn. On their way to self-destruction, your skin cells’ DNA has been damaged by the solar ultraviolet (UV) light. Absorbing UV, some DNA bases undergo a chemical reaction, called photocyclization, linking... click to read more

Quantum theory governs the behaviour of fundamental particles, atoms, and molecules, i.e., of nature at the smallest scale. Intriguingly and counter-intuitively, quantum systems can simultaneously ‘be’ in combinations of physical states that are mutually incompatible according to classical physics. Examples we can name are the... click to read more

How much do we really know about what is below our feet? The underground offers both a range of opportunities for applications (e.g. archaeology, water aquifers) as well as being home to significant risks for society (e.g. old mine workings, and cables) which require good... click to read more

Thermodynamics initially developed as a framework for understanding and improving the performance of heat engines as they powered the industrial revolution. Since then, heat engines have gone on to play a pivotal role in modern society, as more than 90% of electricity today is generated... click to read more

When you tension a guitar string, you change its resonant frequencies and tune the pitch of the notes you can play on it. Similarly, a nanoscale string will perform faster oscillations (in the radiofrequency, megahertz band) by increasing the tension. However, when the aspect ratio... click to read more